Be stiff (Devo) (LP 2380 - 2381)

Devo  Freedom Of Choice (Vinyl, Warner Bros Records, 1980) ****  

Devo  DEV-O Live (Vinyl EP, Warner Bros Records, 1980) ***  

Genre: Pop rock 

Places I remember: Marbecks Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Freedom Of Choice

Gear costume: Be Stiff (Live)

Active compensatory factors: Freedom Of Choice is a great pop record, with more hooks than a butcher's shop!

Truly, this is an infectious collection of songs. Each one is single worthy.

Indeed, Devo's third album did include their biggest hit - Whip it. Girl U Want, Gates Of Steel and Freedom Of Choice were other songs from the album released as singles.

The Live EP has versions of all four, plus Planet Earth and the awesome Be Stiff. It's a nice to have, the EP, but not essential. The parent album though, definitely is.

Where do they all belong? That's all the Devo I have. Next up in pop rock - Neil Diamond. Neil Diamond??? Yes, Neil Diamond.

It belongs to P F Sloan (Rumer) #99

Devo Secret Agent man/ Red Eye (Warner Brothers Records, WBS 49028, 1979)

I can never think of Devo without thinking of Woody Boyd on Cheers in this episode (go to the 40 sec mark). 



They have, of course, become an old group now, but there was a time when they were at the cutting edge of rock music.
 
Unfortunately, compared to their early stuff, this single sees them more as a mainstream rock outfit. It comes from their Duty Now For The Future album which was received with less than glowing reviews at the time.

The song itself is written in part by P F Sloan (you'll maybe recognise the name from a superb song by Rumer...

)

Secret Agent Man was written for an early sixties TV show. Many artists have had a go at it: Mel Torme, Johnny Rivers and Devo are obviously among them. Johnny had the big hit with it in 1966 (I include it for comparison and coz it's the best version for my money)

It's both a catchy song and a catchy version.

Hidden gem: The B side is also on the album so no rarity value. It's also a catchy song with a catchy chorus but, like so many songs chosen for B sides - it's true home is on a B side.